Going Home
by Sage Tiger
Summary: Soldier 76 rejoins Overwatch after the recall. Only interested in answers for Talon's involvement in Overwatch's downfall while avoiding reconnecting to his old team who are unaware of his identity.
1. Prologue

Chapter I

Apart from the distant whirring of passing cars as they sped down the free-way the area was quiet. The low hanging sun overlooked arid farm land and distant dots of light from homesteads littered the horizon. Remote, isolated, so it was exactly what Overwatch desired when it needed secret safe-house locations to restock and re-arm on the way to global hotspots during the first Omnic crisis. 

No one around must have cared enough to ever inquire into the run down factory that sat next to the free-way. Probably an offensive eye sore that normal people overlooked. The sun was setting fast, the free-way casting a dark shadow beneath it that made it perfect for concealment.

From what he could survey from the shadow of the free-way, all that was protecting the old safe-house was a busted up chain link fence. A tree had even fallen and crushed a portion of the fence and it had clearly been that way for awhile.

Other Overwatch facilities namely those that had been public knowledge had fallen into government hands. Data about the more secure Overwatch safe-houses had been lost in the destruction of the Overwatch HQ.

Sprinting across the open field, vaulting the fallen fence and closing the distance to abandoned factory in a matter of seconds, it never used to take a toll on him but with age came the slight shortening of breath, sore and bruised muscles that never seemed to heal right. He wasn't a young man any more but he knew his limitations were still more than any other normal soldier.

The factory was run down and littered with debris, marked with anti-Omnic graffiti, complete with some empty crates and barrels. On a far wall a metal safety sign hung on a crooked angle. He pried the sign back, revealing the dusty keypad. He dialled it in and the wall popped open and when he pushed it the door yielded to him and opened.

He shut the door behind him and descended the old metallic stairs into the darkness, tapping the side of his visor and switching to night vision. The place was as silent as a tomb, the outside ambience completely absent now. He cleared the place hall by hall, room by room. Storage closets, a room of spare bunks, more storage that implied ammunition. He stopped and opened the cabinets which swung open to reveal nothing but a few spare casings for outdated weaponry. Nothing of use.

In his mind the doubts began to arise that this was a wasted effort. How many other former agents had come scavenging through this place before he had. It was less risky than raiding the currently occupied facilities but this time it had only costed him valuable time. He slammed the cabinet door with a grunted curse, the echo travelling through the empty halls. In the wake of the echo a muffled banging noise from somewhere in the facility snapped him out of his daze. He focused and checked his pulse rifle. He crept around the corner and down the hall towards it.

No sound apart from his light foot falls. Then he heard it, the light hum of a generator. Navigating the halls he reached the last door, labelled Hanger-001. The door featured a keypad that prompted him to enter another code which he punched in before the door slid open to reveal a well lit hanger bay and sitting right in the centre of the huge room was an Overwatch drop-ship, bright white with it's logo stamped proudly on the side. It had been too long since he had laid eyes on one.

A loud crackling electric beam struck the ground near his boots, searing the ground

"Hold it right there!" the voice was deep and resonant, "Drop your weapon".

He turned to the right of the drop-ship where a large gorilla, armoured in a white space suit clutching a Tesla cannon stood. He didn't drop his weapon but he didn't raise it either, instead turning to face the ape.

"Or you'll do what? Kill me in cold blood? Turn me in to the authorities? We'll see how that goes" he growled, eyeing Winston cautiously. He was gambling with his luck and he knew it.

"Ohh I wouldn't test him love, now mits up" the cockney accent chirped as a gun barrel poked him in the back. Growling he complied and dropped the pulse rifle which clattered to the ground.

"Smashing job now kick it over to 'im" the voice commanded. He sighed and kicked the rifle to Winston who scooped it up and placed it on a desk behind him. Tracer stepped out from behind him and circled to his left. Tracer hadn't aged a day since he had last seen her. Still the shining picture of optimism that had been featured on so many propaganda posters.

"Soldier 76, outlaw, vigilante. Thought you'd be too busy killing petty street thugs to bother us" Winston growled.

"I'm not the only vigilante here so you can get off your high horse Winston" 76 bit back.

"You're ex-Overwatch, I've gathered that much about you. Wouldn't have gotten in here otherwise. But something tells me you're not here because of the recall" Winston kept his Tesla cannon trained on him.

"Just stopping by for some supplies thought you wouldn't mind" 76 replied.

"Those supplies belong to Overwatch" Winston grunted.

"Nobody is going to answer the call. Overwatch is dead" 76 responded flatly.

"I'm standin' right 'ere y'know?" Tracer stood with her hands on her hips.

"We can't just stand by and do nothing any more. Look, we could use someone like you. This second Omnic crisis could escalate dramatically unless we intervene and we may have not have a choice either, Talon is involved" Winston lowered the cannon and set it aside.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"My lab at Gibraltar was attacked by Talon agents. A mercenary, Reaper was with them, he tried to hack into the database for a list of Overwatch agents and almost succeeded. I've been following his activities for awhile and it's become clear he's hunting down former members of Overwatch for Talon" Winston turned to a small console of the desk and with a few button presses brought up a global map of Overwatch agent listed as murdered or deceased since the shut down of Overwatch. It was a long list of names.

Alongside it was a security recording of the lab attack. It stuck out like a sore thumb. Talon agents using Blackwatch tactics, clear as day and unmistakable and the grim reaper lookalike in charge of them fit the bill for the infamous mercenary that had been responsible for committing terrorist attacks around the world.

"We stand a better chance together than letting him pick us off one by one" Winston turned back to him.

"The world didn't ask for our help. Gathering everyone together will make us a target. It was a mista-"

"How could you understand?" Tracer's sudden outburst startled him, "This may be hard for somebody like you to understand but our team was like a family to us. To me. I can't walk out on them" she stared up into his visor, unwavering. He met her hard stare.

"Reaper is dangerous, the two of you don't stand a chance" he tried to reason.

"I'll fight him alone if it comes down to it" she replied, an equal mix of stubbornness and determination. It almost threw him off on how much Lena hadn't changed. Still the same girl when she had joined Overwatch after Winston had rescued her from phasing in and out of time.

For him Overwatch was some bad memories but he couldn't ignore his gut feeling that Blackwatch was involved. Gabriel Reyes' hand picked team of murderers and cut throats were working with Talon?

"I'll come with you" he said suddenly. Inwardly regretting his decision already.

"What?" Tracer and Winston questioned in unison.

"I suppose I'd rather not be on my own when Talon comes knocking. I'll help you, if only to put and end to this Talon death squad and then I'm gone" 76 justified to himself.

"As good a reason as any I suppose, beggars can't be choosers when allying themselves with dangerous fugitives" the ape sighed.

 **Xxx**

 **Been a very long time since I've sat down and written a fan fic.**

 **I can only seem to write them very late at night so forgive me if there are a few spelling, punctuation, dialogue errors since I have to be pretty tired to write these.**

 **This is probably going to be very Soldier 76 centric and may not include the whole cast as it's too challenging and a lot of character relationships haven't been fully fleshed out by Blizzard yet which makes writing them from scratch very difficult.**


	2. Jail Breakout

**Edit Note: This was written in Libreoffice and for some reason the export to fanfiction .net completely breaks the way the doc is formatted so know that there's supposed to be line breaks in certain parts that I'll replace with a line of Xs signifying a scene transition for convenience.**

 **Also spaces between lines don't seem to be working correctly either so I'll try to see what I can do as soon as possible**

Chapter II

The outside of the Houston police station was a hive of activity. Crowds, reporters, barricades set up by armoured policemen cordoning off the station from anyone who wanted to get close. Inside the station the air was less frantic but still energized.

"He leapt off the train? That's nuts" one of the younger rookie cops took a sip from his coffee as other officers clustered around his desk, deep in discussion.

"Any faster and he might have lost another limb or two. The train slowed to let him off for some reason. Didn't help him in the long run though" on the desk lay a crumpled old wanted poster dating back years when the Deadlock gang was at it's peak. A picture of a grizzled cowboy front and centre, cigar hanging out of the corner of his mouth.

It read:

WANTED

Dead or Alive

Jesse McCree

$60,000,000

"All the things I've heard I'm surprised he gave up so easily" another piped in.

Their eyes raked the poster up and down but their focus was broken when the Captain shook them from their trance.

"It ain't your break time fellas so look alive. Collins, I want you to let me know if Interpol calls back and let me know their ETA" Captain Marston sudden appearance dispersed the officers. She paused to look over the poster herself. She remembered that not too long ago this face was plastered all over Overwatch victory propaganda posters instead of wanted posters.

"Yes Ma'am, on it" Officer Collins obliged her with a small salute.

She nodded before moving through to the cell area, passing through two locked doors, each one staffed by an officer who watched her swipe her key-card through a scanner before she was allowed to enter.

There were six cells in this block, temporary holding areas while waiting for backup to move them to more secure locations. She entered from one of the doors at each end of the block. Iron bars along with bullet proof glass adorned each cell. Since they were only temporary and rarely in use it was quite outdated. Other, better facilities had forcefields to better contain prisoners.

Only two were occupied currently. The first was laying on a stretcher, hand cuffed to the metal railing. Disarmed but still partially garbed in black op gear, face masked by a helmet they couldn't remove. The soldier seemed out of it but taking two bullets through the shoulder and chest would do that to you. Marston grimaced.

They had no idea who this guy was or the others that McCree had gunned down on that train. The passengers had given their side of the story, stating that McCree had saved them and gunned down the masked men when they had tried to hijack the train but that's not what her superiors and the higher ups on the phone wanted to hear.

"You have McCree though?" the voice on the other end of the line had rasped.

"Yes sir but there's also another suspect who we'd like to retain custody of"

"No, we'll take both. The others were most likely his crew. They took something extremely valuable and dangerous. Keep them locked down and don't let anyone else move them before we get there" the voice had promptly ended the call and she had found herself looking into her silent com-link in bewilderment. Rude Europeans she assumed. She hadn't even been given a moment to protest. She could imagine they'd be a lot more talking when they got here.

The cell at the other end housed McCree who hadn't said much of anything to anyone other than a few polite nods and a few thanks when he had been given some meagre food. He was lounging on the large stone cinder block that acted as a bed. He unconsciously went to tip his hat when he saw her but that had been confiscated along with his gun, flash-bangs, poncho and a hidden transmitter.

"Howdy" he greeted her contentedly. She eyed him up. Strange that he seemed so at home in a cell like this. She remembered his face being displayed proudly at a museum exhibit dedicated to Overwatch.

"Morning" She replied before turning to leave.

"Aw leaving so soon? Haven't had a visitor in ages" He called out.

"So you're talking now? Ready to talk about what happened on the train?" she inquired. He grinned at that and sat up straight.

"Didn't those nice folk tell you? I didn't start no fight"

"So a bunch of black op and a notorious bounty hunter just happened to be on the same train, who showed up at the same time for the same reason?"

"Look, they weren't my friends and I don't have a clue what they were after but the people on that train meant nothing to them. I did what I had to do" McCree stood and up, crossing his arms.

"One them identified you by name though?" she had heard that from one of the witnesses that one of the black op soldiers had called out McCree's name.

"Well I'm quite recognisable if you hadn't noticed darlin'" he ran a hand back through his hair absent-mindedly. His arrogance was more than grating on her nerves so she wanted to cut him back down to size.

"Yes you are. Already big news that we caught you. Interpol heard and is coming to pick you up right now" something about her statement made McCree's cocky seemingly permanent grin fade away.

"I'm not wanted by Interpol. I'm not guilty of any international crimes. My slate was cleared when I joined..." McCree stopped short.

"Overwatch?" she finished his thought but McCree had visibly paled. He closed the distance between himself and the Captain, reaching the glass wall and clasping the iron bars with his hands

"Darlin'… Captain…," McCree squinted at her name badge, "Marston, I have a confession. I've been buying time. My ride out of here is coming soon but whoever else is coming, it ain't Interpol. You have to let me out now!" Jesse hissed, emphasising the panic in his voice.

"Of course, you sound completely legit righ-" her sarcasm was cut off as McCree reached out and grabbed her arm.

"My gun quickly" he begged before she ripped her arm away. Her shout died in her throat as the wounded black op soldier in the cell at the end of the block started to scream. It was ear piercing and full of terror.

Alongside the scream she heard shots ring out in the station. She gave one last look to McCree's pleading eyes before backing up to the locked door behind her.

She swiped her card and burst out of the cell block. The officer who had been guarding the door was dead, slumped over in his seat.

A bullet whizzed by her head and she dropped behind the desk. Her officers were taking cover behind their desks, firearms out but the constant barrage of shots were keeping them effectively pinned down. She peeked out just as another shot rang out, she followed the grey tracer of the sniper's bullet and caught sight of a figure on the rooftop across the street.

"Sniper on the east rooftop!" She shouted across the room.

She could hear the crowd screaming in a mass panic outside as more shots rang out, shattering windows and whizzing overhead.

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She weren't many things she enjoyed any more other than the satisfaction of a job well done. But Talon had shown her the truth. The world was a numb, grey void, full of apathy but it was brief moments like this that made it seem colour had been restored to her world. The tension and adrenaline when she instilled terror into her targets as she spied down her scope.

So close as to see the white of their eyes. Her cross-hair lingered over one cowardly man hiding behind his desk unaware that he was exposed from this angle. This one would be sweet but almost too easy.

It had been easy, right up until the orange blur zipped right into her sights.

"Time's up!" Twin bursts of hot blue pulse ammunition filled the air around her. Widowmaker sprung backwards from the edge of the rooftop as Tracer blinked into view. Tracer hit the roof and ground to a stop, pistols focused on the assassin.

"Amélie, stop this… please" Tracer tried to reason but the assassin dived forward slamming her rifle butt into the young girl's head in an instant. She seized Tracer's arm just as she tried to blink and teleported with her across the rooftop alongside her.

"Seems you didn't learn your lesson last time chéri" Widowmaker fired her grappling hook out before slipping the wire around Tracer's neck. Widow kicked the girl's legs out from underneath her. Lena dropped her pistols and grabbed at the wire as she hit the ground. Just as the wire tightened about her throat Tracer vanished. A second later she popped back into existence with her pistols in her hands.

"Alright my turn"

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Jesse backed away from the bars as the screaming died down from the other cell. The silence that followed was broken by heavy footfalls as the dark hooded terrorist walked into view.

"Jesse McCree, back in jail. Too much of a boyscout for his own good" the warped voice mocked from behind the white mask.

"Howdy tall, dark and creepy. 'Fraid I can't stick around long, got business elsewhere"

"Shut up. You're not going anywhere" Reaper snarled before he dissipated into a thick black smoke. It drifted towards the cell before spreading to the corners and edges of the glass before beginning to seep through the gaps and into the cell.

"Well I'll be damned..." he swore as he backed up to the far wall.

Captain Marston burst back into the cell block, his revolver in her hand. In her other hand a flash-bang. She hurled the black cylinder right into the glass, exploding and causing the black smoke to retreat, disengaging from the door. She ran to the door and opened the hatch for delivering food and slid his revolver to him.

The black smog circled away from the cell and down to the floor, reforming.

Marston was jamming a key into the lock when the masked man materialized out of the smoke. He swept his trench coat back and pulled out two black short barrelled shotguns. Marston was like a deer in headlights as Reaper took aim.

"MOVE! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" McCree pounded his fists on the glass, like he could have stopped what was about to happen. The key clicked into place and the door fell open and McCree with it. The first shot was taken by the bulletproof glass, the next shot hit the cyborg cowboy in his right hip, taking him to his knees.

"Arghh… sonova..." McCree grabbed the police captain and pulled her into the cell while clutching at his side.

"It's high noon, cowboy" Reaper laughed as he continued the barrage of gunfire.

"I guess that makes me the sheriff" the black clad mercenary spun around in surprise at the voice behind him just in time to catch a trio of helix rockets to the chest. The resulting explosion shook the building and triggered the fire alarm.

76 emerged from his cover at the end of the hall, training his rifle on where the dead mercenary would have been but as the smoke cleared it seemed all that had been left behind was blackened scorch mark on the floor and walls. Reaper was nowhere to be seen.

"Appreciate the timely rescue stranger" McCree grunted as he squeezed his side. 76 crouched down beside him and the police captain, checking the gunslinger's wounds. Reaper hadn't hit anything vital with most of the buckshot passing through cleanly though he was bleeding badly.

"You'll live soldier but we have to move now" 76 offered his red gloved hand to McCree who took it. He pulled the wounded cowboy up and lent him his shoulder. The police captain Marston watched them go without saying a word, later on she'd regret not wishing him luck.

"Winston, I've got him. Where are you?" 76 pressed the com-link in his ear as he helped the limping cowboy out of the police station, fire alarm still blaring.

"I'm bringing the ship to you, hold on" Winston's voice came through and a few seconds later the drop ship sped into view before rapidly descending onto the street. The ramp deployed and 76 was helping Jesse get on board when he caught sight of the large crowd watching them as they cowered behind the police barricades. The faces contorted in fear and loathing weren't any easy to confront then they had been years ago. He turned and climbed up the ramp.

"Tracer, we've completed the objective. Get back to the ship now" Winston sat at the controls of the ship as it hovered over the rooftops. There was a brief silence before a response came through the coms.

"I'm on my way!" Tracer chirped. It might have just been the coms but to 76 she sounded out of breath. An orange blur with blue after trail came zipping across the rooftops towards the drop-ship. Loud cracks from a sniper rifle boomed in the distance and grey tracers filled the air around Lena. 76 ran to the open ramp door as Tracer neared the ship.

She sprinted up the last roof top and leapt for the ramp. The ship tilted unexpectedly as bullets ricochetted off the cockpit and the outer hull. She wasn't going to make it. He dropped to his chest at the edge of the ramp and put his arm out which Lena caught barely at the last second, pulling hard on his jacket.

"Winston! Bring the ramp up now!" he shouted over the droning of the ship's turbines. The ramp swung up as 76 pulled Lena up and inside as the ship ascended and left the streets of Houston behind.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	3. Bruises

**Edit Note: This was written in Libreoffice and for some reason the export to fanfiction .net completely breaks the way the doc is formatted so know that there's supposed to be line breaks in certain parts that I'll replace with a line of Xs signifying a scene transition for convenience.**

 **Also** ** **spaces between lines** don't seem to be working correctly either so I'll try to see what I can do as soon as possible**

Chapter III

"-and twenty five overnight, back to you Bill"

"Thanks Anita, and continuing one of our most recent top stories, Jesse McCree, a former Deadlock gang associate and ex-Overwatch agent was arrested this morning after a failed hijacking of a train en route to Houston but has since escaped police custody. The Houston police department came under fire this afternoon, one officer has been confirmed dead and several others wounded".

The screen flickered as pictures materialized besides the talking news anchor, one showing the outside of the station, bullet holes riddling the walls and broken windows. A shaky video appeared beside the picture showing the Overwatch drop ship landing in the streets with two figures walking to the ramp.

"Sources close to the scene captured this video which shows what appears to be an Overwatch drop ship landing at the station at the time of the attack. When the video is paused here you can clearly identify McCree and what appears to be Soldier 76, a dangerous fugitive wanted after a spate of vigilante style attacks and break ins earlier this year. Security camera footage also captured ex-Overwatch agent Lena Oxton also known as Tracer who was in the area at the time of the attack. She is still wanted for questioning after reports that she may have been involved in the assassination of Tekhartha Mondatta, an Omnic religious leader. For now I take you to our foreign correspondent Jacobson, outside the U.N. building as they prepare to deliver a statement regarding the violation of the Petras Act".

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The ship was quiet apart from the muffled whine of the engines and occasional shake as it ascended and descended. Winston had left the ship's course in Athena's hands as he retired for the night and it been cruising steadily since leaving Houston behind. Currently en route to Hanamura.

McCree was down and out on painkillers as the biotics worked their magic on him. 76 sat alone at the table booth positioned in the corner of the room. It was night outside, not much else to see so he had tried getting some sleep, stretching out on the curved plastic seat and covering himself with his jacket but every shuddering heave the ship made kept him up.

He shrugged off the jacket and retrieved his pulse rifle. If he couldn't rest he might as well work. He lay it across the black table top and began to disassemble it for maintenance. He was halfway through when a slim figure out the corner of his eye startled him from his ritual. He must have given off some sort of shocked pause because the shadowy figure immediately sought to reassure him.

"Easy, only me" Tracer yawned as she shuffled to the booth and took a seat. The interior lights had been dimmed significantly, only the light illuminating the table had been left on so 76 could work unimpeded.

"Hey kid" he continued his cleaning as Tracer leaned on the table with her head in her hands. They stayed that way for a few minutes before the quiet was broken.

"You can take the mask off y'know" Tracer suggested in a serious tone for once, her face still partly in her hands.

"I'd prefer not to," he responded curtly.

"That can't be comfortable love" she replied back. He had no response for that so he let it sit because she was right but it wasn't coming off either way.

"And I'm twenty six by the way. No one calls me kid…" Lena huffed and he couldn't help but give a weak smile at that under the mask. It was almost like he was back in the good old days but the deep ache that rose in his chest would shatter the fantasy every time.

"Well I'm hitting around sixty so with that comes a certain special privilege for being able to call everyone your junior, kid" He had almost finished reassembling the rifle when he turned to look at Lena. She was looking at him and in the light he finally got a good look at her face.

"Jesus..." He immediately moved over to get a better look at Lena as she shied away.

"I'm fine-" she insisted.

"Doesn't look very fine to me" He reached out with his gloved hand and gingerly brought her face closer to the light. A deep bruise ran across from her nose to her cheek and right under her eye. He didn't bother asking but he turned and left the booth and quickly returned with a small bag of ice from the fridge.

Back in Overwatch most injuries could quickly be assessed and healed thanks to Dr Ziegler's breakthroughs in nanobiology that had allowed them to rapidly heal serious wounds. The drawback was that it was expensive so supplies had been limited as a result but that had never really been an issue up until the fall. He'd grown accustomed to stitching himself back up with whatever he had at hand all those years on his own so he was more than familiar with the bad bruises. He looked over her face and pressed the ice over the affected spots. Lena stopped trying to protest and let him apply it but hissed when the cold sensation only inflamed the pain.

"That sniper do this?" he asked.

"Wido- Amélia did this" he passed the ice to her and let her continue holding the ice bag to her cheek.

"Widowmaker, I've heard the stories" he also had seen her work first hand after he had seen what was left of Gérard Lacroix after Widowmaker was born. Blood pooling in the satin sheets. He shook the image from his mind.

Lena remained a blank page. He imagined it was because she blamed herself perhaps. Let her guard down too long.

"You can say it now" she sighed.

"Say what?"

"That it was stupid. Tryin' to reason with 'er. It's been so long since… When I saw her in King's Row that night I thought maybe I could stop her without killing her… I missed on purpose" she looked away, partly ashamed. Poor kid wasn't a miracle worker but he couldn't help but wince at the naivety. Years of psychological conditioning could be impossible to reverse, no instant cure. A bullet came to mind but he didn't think she'd approve.

"I don't think there's anything you can do for her Lena. I won't admonish you for trying but don't forget that Widow… she's not the forgiving type. She'll tear you apart given the chance".

A silence came over them but the corner of Lena's mouth started to twitch and rise.

"Now you warn me!" she grinned slyly. It took him a moment to get it but he gave an amused huff when it hit him.

"Get some rest kid, we're gonna need it"

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	4. Chewed Out

**Views peaked over 1k on Wednesday so thanks everyone for the support so far.**

Chapter IV

Every time he took off the mask was a new experience. Looking into the mirror and finding out which parts of his face were there and what was missing. Passing a gloved hand over the rough unnatural skin growths and feeling the sting of a misplaced nerve. Every day was like this. By tomorrow he will have regenerated to some semblance of normalcy only for his body to fall apart the day after.

He was making another pass over when he heard his bedroom door slide open. He slid the mask back into place where it clicked and sealed.

He could see the reflection of Widowmaker standing in the bathroom doorway not having made a sound as she crossed the room.

"Le Commandant would like to speak with us" she said flatly.

"Give me a second" he said leaning in to adjust the mask and the hoses that connected to it that supplied him with air containing nano biotic gasses that numbed the pain that came with the constant degeneration. He was already tense following the last mission. McCree had made fool of him, he could imagine the smug walking cliché and struggled to not smash his fists into the mirror. The added irritation of having to deal with the Commander shortly was just as enraging and it made trying to fix his mask so much more difficult.

He felt a presence right behind him just as a slender hand took the hose from his hand and hooked it in.

"You act like a child" the soft voice hissed into his ear.

"And you would know wouldn't you?" he bit back before he could stop himself. He could see her face in the mirror change subtly, brief confusion washing over her. He bit his tongue, the Talon scientists had advised him not to test the limits of the conditioning.

"What?" she paused slightly before her face started to return to the detached neutral expression she always wore.

"Never mind. Let's go" he turned abruptly and Widowmaker followed.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Apart from the two Talon operatives that guarded the entrance, there was no one else present in the briefing room. Reaper and Widowmaker waited in silence but they didn't have to wait long. The holo-projector that lay on the table hummed to life as it activated and a tall bearded man dressed in a suit materialized above the table in a bright blue hue.

"Commander, Reaper reporti-"

"What the bloody hell did you think you were doing?" The hologram roared, Reaper was loathe to admit that it took him by surprise.

"Sir I-" he was cut off again.

"Somehow I think your explanation won't explain your actions Reyes".

" **Sir** , the mission to retrieve the power core succeeded despite McCree's interference. But one of your frail agents wasn't as dead as we had thought and was being held in police custody. I wasn't about to let him spill his guts on-"

"It wasn't your decision to make, I forbade it! Now besides an entire train of witnesses swearing up and down that McCree's a hero, we now have an entire department of police giving conflicting reports of the attack and are praising Overwatch. None of this is going to be swept under the rug very easily. You've risked everything we've been building".

"If you had given me the team of men that I needed then McCree would be dead. The remnants of Overwatch that we've been hunting for so long would have been destroyed then and there!".

"That's enough **Reaper** " the man spat out the last word, "The rest of Talon may thank you for helping peddle their anti-Overwatch agenda but all military operation decisions lie with me and as of now you're relieved of command over the Talon strike force".

"You can't be serious?" Reyes growled, "No one else here has the level of experience that I have".

"Well you'd be wrong, the boys in R&D tell me that agent Widowmaker has been successfully imprinted with the tactical knowledge of how to lead a strike team. As of now she leads the strike force".

"Je vous remercie Commander" Widow gave a small bow to the hologram.

There it was again. That deep pit of rage that was almost bubbling over inside him. He couldn't help but clench his hands, the metal talons on his gauntlet digging into his palms and drawing blood.

"Dismissed agents" the hologram shimmered before disappearing back into nothing.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was early morning in Hanamura, the sun barely peeking over the horizon when they had landed near the Shimada castle on nearby rooftops. They didn't have to wait long before the silver, white cyborg had climbed into view.

"Genji!" Tracer almost crash tackled the cyborg as he approached the boarding ramp.

"Lena!" Genji returned the hug before turning to the others coming to greet him, "Winston, Jesse how long has it been?".

"Helluva long time partner" Jesse outstretched his mechanical hand and the samurai grasped it and shook. Genji turned to Winston.

"Winston, where is … everyone else?" he asked motioning to the ship behind them. Winston pushed his glasses back, his social tick.

"I'm afraid this is it. No one else has responded and there's been no attempts at communication so for now we're on our own. How did things go with your brother? Will he join us?" Winston asked.

"Hanzo? He… he needs more time. To come to terms with your brother coming back from the dead is a lot to handle but I hope that he'll come around eventually" the cyborg looked up to see 76 coming down the boarding ramp.

"Oh I almost forgot this is-" Winston was cut short as Genji marched past him.

"I know exactly who this is, he's a common murderer," He pointed an accusatory finger at 76, "Why the hell is he here? I thought this was about reforming Overwatch. He doesn't belong here".

"Reform Overwatch. Do you honestly think anybody would stand for that? If you remember correctly they wanted us gone. Everyone here is just like me, a vigilante" 76 replied derisively. He couldn't physically tell from the mask but Genji's body language gave away that he was fuming. He was familiar with the ninja's tantrums, after Dr Ziegler had brought him back from the dead Genji had been diagnosed as mentally unstable and was constantly at odds with his superiors including him.

"Us? Who are you to say that?" the cyborg was getting uncomfortably close for comfort.

"Because I was there" he replied, not elaborating further. Tracer squeezed herself between the two men and pushed them apart with surprising strength.

"Oi! Easy boys. Now is not the time" She held them apart for a second longer before Genji stepped back.

"We can trust the old geezer Genji, he helped me bust me outta jail so that's gotta count for somethin' right?" the cowboy drawled. Genji looked around to each of them, waiting for someone to back him but nobody spoke.

"...Fine" Genji finally relented. Winston exhaled with a sigh of relief and rubbed his eyes.

"Now that we're all good pals now how 'bout we get this show on the road" McCree suggested. That was something they could agree on.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Another small chapter. I didn't really have a good idea where I was going to go with this when I started but I've got a decent outline now and a fairly good idea of what I want to happen.**

 **It's unlikely that the entire Overwatch cast will appear in this fic as most of them don't have much of a previously existing relationship or connection to 76 and it would just be clutter detracting from the focus of the story as much as it would be interesting having 76 be a weird father figure to , Lucio or the rest of the team which the fandom loves.**

 **Thanks for the support so far everyone.**


	5. Nightmare

**Wow so many favs and follows. No pressure then.**

Chapter V

Another long afternoon. The kind that stretched on forever. Made even longer by the stack of paperwork that had been building on his desk for over a week now. Why they thought paper was still a good idea in an age of holoscreens he just didn't know. It was a Saturday but he'd been putting it off everyday since most days were consumed by meetings with a delegates from so and so or fighting the losing PR battle with protesters day in day out. The base was on a skeleton crew so he knew he wasn't going to be disturbed but that didn't help him work any faster.

Only 1pm and Jack's head was already face planting the desk in frustration. He found himself remembering the fonder memories like when he almost bled out after being almost torn to shreds by an Omnic bastion unit and the days where he doubted he'd live through them in one piece. He was just a soldier, not some PR man, not a desk jockey but that's what they had made him so he felt obliged to honour it.

" _Stupid…_ _Stupid..._ " he heard the door slide open but felt no effort to raise his head off the table. He hoped it was someone from the committee, he'd resign right now on the spot if it was.

"Jack? Been looking for you," Reyes lingered in the doorway a moment, "Still living in this broom closet? Could've taken that nice office on the top floor if you wanted it".

"Big offices don't really appeal to me Gabriel, what is it?" he grumbled, scratching his blonde hair absent mindedly.

"They sent me to fetch you and I needed some space. I'm not a big fan of these sorts of things" Jack looked at Reyes for a long moment before it clicked.

"Dammit… that's today?" he looked around for some sort of calender while Reyes smirked.

"You need to get out of this office more often Jack or else they'll bury you here" Reyes motioned Jack to follow before the man in the black fatigues stepped out into the hall and the door slid shut.

He didn't grab his blue coat on the way out, the weather today was quite sunny for Switzerland so his grey short sleeve fatigues would do.

Gabriel was waiting out in the hall which felt rather deserted. Reyes gave him a sly grin as he pushed off the wall he was leaning on.

"Not everyday you get to see a monkey get a PhD" the dark skinned man scoffed.

"I don't have one, do you?" Jack didn't acknowledge the poor attempt at humour if it even was humour.

"Com'on Jack. Admit that this whole thing seems a little ridiculous" Reyes fell in beside him as they marched through the white and orange hallways.

"We have a ninja, dwarf, cowboy and a girl that can travel through time on our team. Is a talking ape too strange for you?" he glanced at Reyes who was looking out to the window to the gardens and the training grounds beyond it.

"He isn't human Jack" he replied sternly.

"And some people don't consider Genji human but he's our friend and a member of the team right? I know where you're coming from Gabe" he honestly didn't want to go through the lecture. You didn't join an international organisation if you had racial prejudices but this was something they didn't train you on in team building exercises.

Their conversation was cut off as the slim blonde woman rounded the next corner in front of them. Her pale face lighting up when she saw him.

"Jack! I see Gabriel finally found you," Angela ignored Gabriel as she strolled right to him, "It's good you've come, you don't know but this means alot to him".

"Wouldn't miss it for the world" he replied, catching Reyes' eye roll out of the corner of his eye.

They passed through two more halls before emerging onto the garden terraces. A space usually reserved for meetings but mostly decorative purposes. The long wooden table sat on the cement, with some food sitting on top.

"Commander!" Lena sprung into existence right in front of him, saluting. Ana followed behind Tracer, also saluting.

"At ease" he said, returning the salute. The rest of the gathered greeted him more casually with raised drinks. He felt his spirit get a small lift out of seeing everyone here. Rare enough these days when they were stretched out most of the time. Sometimes barely seeing one another for weeks. He was only beginning to realize how old he was getting when he looked at Reinhardt and Torbjörn.

He found Winston in the centre alongside Torbjörn, Reinhardt and Genji. Winston turned as Jack entered the circle.

"Congratulations Winston. Sorry. Dr Winston" he offered his hand which the gorilla took.

"Thank you Commander but I'll always be just Winston" Winston replied, a little embarrassed already.

"I tell ya what Jack we gotta true up and coming engineer right here" Torbjörn had his bionic arm around the ape while holding a mug in his other hand.

"There's not a doubt in my mind that he'll let us down Torb" he was already backing out when Angela swooped in beside him.

"We must get a picture of everyone here, it's not everyday we're all gathered together like this" she said, holding the small compact camera. Lena grabbed the camera eagerly from the Doctor Ziegler's hands.

"Awright then, everybody form up on me, that includes you Gabriel!" she called out to everyone and they obliged, Reyes reluctantly. The formed a short line with Winston in the centre. Tracer blinking across the garden to place the camera on the table to set the timer. He caught sight of Reinhardt leaning over Genji with McCree grinning at the large German's joke.

"Timer's set loves!" she called out before blinking back to the group and jumping into the air and freezing, making herself hover in place in that one point in time for the picture.

 _3… 2… 1…_

There was flash and he could've sworn there hadn't been one. It only took a moment for his vision to clear but when it finally did the terrace gardens were empty.

The sky was overcast and the cold air was freezing. The ground was no longer spotless green grass but faded and greyish and protester signs littered all over the area. The wind picked up, whistling over the terraces like a mournful song.

 _Reyes is in the armoury… Reyes is in the armoury…_

He was sprinting now. Inside the halls which were still completely deserted. Inside but it was still freezing, a cold feeling building in his gut. The hallway was starting to stretch on forever, never ending.

 _Reyes is in the armoury…_

"ANYBODY?" he shouted into the base and just as the words were leaving his throat there was someone on the ground in front of him.

Angela knelt on the floor in front of him. On her knees, looking straight down holding her face in one hand, completely silent.

He dropped straight to the floor, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Angela! What is it? What's wrong?" he tried to lower his voice but he could hear the panic slipping into his voice.

"Jack?" She whispered, seemingly only noticing him now. She looked up at him and for the first time he could see the blood trickling out of the side of her mouth and her bruised cheek.

"Where's Reyes?" he demanded but he already knew the answer.

"Re… Reyes is in the armoury..." she looked down again to the small spatters of blood starting to collect on the ground.

"Ange…" he almost couldn't speak the pressure in his chest was crushing his lungs, "Angel… you have to get out of here. Get somewhere safe".

He rose quickly to his feet and was already sprinting again. The hallways melting into each other, shadows building in the corners.

Ana was in front of him then, standing completely still. A grey blue duffel bag slung over her shoulder and a pulse pistol in her hand. She was aiming at him but at the same time he saw her as more of an unresponsive statue than a threat.

Reyes was behind her with another duffel, shotgun in hand but with his back to him as if he was leaving. Jack tore the pistol out of his holster, levelling it at Gabriel.

"REYES! DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME" he screamed just as he felt his limbs start to seize up and stop. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't scream. Just look into the cold eyes of Ana as she lined up her pistol sight with his face. He saw Reyes behind her turn.

He raised his shotgun at Ana's back and pulled the trigger.

The ship's rattling finally woke him and caused him to strike his head on the table booth as he jolted upright. He had to take the mask off, he couldn't breathe.

He detached the mask and endured a short coughing fit before regaining his breath and reattaching the mask.

Hopefully no one had heard that. Didn't need them to think he was getting too old for this on top of their doubts about his integrity.

Laying back down, he committed to pretending to sleep but that wouldn't keep the memories from resurfacing.


	6. Intrusion

Chapter VI

The blizzard was raging outside, visibility almost zero. A heavy blanket of snow already covering the ground outside the factory. Far off on the opposing shore he could make out the glow of the lights mounted on the Syyatogors but not much else. He gave a silent praise that he wasn't out there like the workers were. It felt harsher than the winters back home in Sweden.

"Mr Lindholm?" the secretary called to him from her desk, "Ms Volskaya wishes to see you now".

He nodded and made his way to the bronze double doors. He hadn't had time to change this morning and he was regretting it now. An early morning phone call that had sent him trying to get to Russia as soon as possible. Still clad in simple worker clothing with the red metal pack that helped power his bionic arm. Still half covered in dirt, he doubted it would make a very good impression on any CEO of any important business and no business in Russia was more important than Volskaya Industries.

He entered the spacious office which felt rather empty with only a large desk taking up a space by the window along with two chairs. A thin pale woman sat behind the desk, not paying him much attention.

"Mr Lindholm, please sit" she commanded before finally turning away from her computer to look at him. He ignored the feeling that she was speaking down to him like some sort of parent would talk down to a child and took a seat in front of her desk.

"Ms Volskaya I was hopin' you'd get right to the point. Maybe explain why after all this time you're finally calling me in, after all I desig-"

"I will Mr Lindholm. Are you aware that the Siberian Omnium is active?" she asked.

"Course! It's been active on and off for years hasn't it?"

"Yes and it's production has increased rapidly in the last month. Last night the military informed me that they're very close to being overwhelmed. We're dealing with two titans" she stated frankly. He could suddenly feel the tension in the room. Like being told that a nuke had been hanging over your head and that'd you better start running. One titan was enough to level a city. He had barely stopped the last one before it had completely levelled Kurjikstan but two titans?

"I see… well I hope you're not asking me to fight 'em for ye" He scratched his beard, already thinking of a range of possibilities. Katya Volskaya smirked at that.

"Funny man. No, you are highly recommended engineer, a wonder with scrap I am told. Problem is that Svyatogor production has stalled. Parts missing, problems with circuitry, many are incomplete but with your help we could restore many of them and we require them to defend the city".

"Defend the city?" now he was worried, there had been six Syyatogors across the river. Maybe enough to fight one titan and that implied that there were not many left on the Siberian front.

A sharp piercing sound shook him from his thoughts. He had heard it even over the blizzard outside. Katya, hearing it too had turned to her computer which was lighting up in red warning messages. A security camera feed from the rooftop of the factory appeared on her screen and he got a good look at what was causing the commotion.

A black glider was hovering over the roof as scores of masked men dropped from it, armed with rifles and one with some kind of rocket launcher.

"I don't suppose ye were expecting guests?"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"-ZZPHscalated this morning as Russian media claims of possible titan activity. This coincides with the news of a possible hostage situation at the Volskaya Industries main factory. We're only now being told details but it appears terrorists have taken a number of factory workers hostage. Volskaya Industries being the sole provider of Syyatogors, Russia's response to the first Omnic Crisis in combating the Siberian Omnium. We'll keep you updated on the dev-ZZZ" the radio crackled and cut out unexpectedly.

The brown haired girl gave the dashboard a hard smack causing the static to resume before cutting out again. Her fingers gripped the van steering wheel tighter anxiously.

"Should we really be doing this?" she was asking herself more than the other person present. The highway ahead was almost entirely deserted on their side, heading toward the towering skyscrapers in the distance while the other side saw a heavy stream of traffic fleeing in the opposite direction.

"It is our duty Brigette" came the short gruff response from the back of the van.

"Yeah...yeah... course you'd say that" she muttered. She didn't exactly have a suit of armour herself and she didn't believe that this clunky old van could escape a titan if it came down to it.

"I cannot abandon them, if this is to be my final battl-" she cut off the man in the back seat.

"-then so be it," she finished his well worn phrase, "That would make this your fourth final battle old man".

"Hahah! Then why are you worrying?" the rough hand gave her a pat on the shoulder which was rather light for how heavy he was.

"You've never fought a titan before" she answered.

"Sure I have! Plenty of them back in the good old days!" 

She sighed at that. There would be no discouraging him, she already knew that. They rode the next few minutes in silence as the amount of vehicles in the other lane began to increase and then gridlock started to set in. Their lane was still empty.

"You're welcome to leave once you get me there" he said suddenly. She was already considering it, had been for the entire ride here. Now she had his permission.

"You sure?" she asked. The old man nodded in response. She let that set in. The city was still a ways off.

"I think I'll stay. You'll probably get lost on your way there. And what am I gonna tell them when I say I abandoned Reinhardt Wilhelm?"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The large doors to the main yard had been locked, all workers and employees rounded up and led into the main factory floor. The main factory building was spread between three floors, with the hostages spread between each floor. There weren't that many windows so she was able to assign a man to each window to watch for any signs of trouble. The police were already outside, armoured vehicles, MPs and more. A police VTOL was buzzing overhead, a searchlight patrolling the walls outside.

"Barricade the windows" she commanded and two Talon operatives began the process of upturning tables, equipment and dragging it to each window for cover. Her com-link buzzed and she responded immediately.

"Status report" the voice demanded.

"Sir, ze factory is secure. Thirty four hostages taken" she reported. There was a short silence.

"Is Katya Volskaya amongst them?" asked the voice.

"No..." she could see each floor with her infra-sight through her recon visor, scanning every hostage and none matched the description of Katya Volskaya.

"I take that to mean you haven't found her yet agent. Our sources have confirmed that Katya Volskaya was present in the facility today and she hasn't been located by the authorities outside so she is inside, Command out" the com-link went dead.

" _Merde..._ " she muttered under her breath. They had already swept all the surrounding buildings and offices connected to the factory building. She was hiding somewhere, maybe a safe room that concealed her presence from the infra-sight.

She turned and only realized now that Reaper had been standing behind her the entire time, his arms crossed.

"What's wrong? Magic goggles can't find her?" he mocked. She turned on him coldly.

"Your men didn't sweep ze offices properly. Take three of them and search it again".

" **Your** men now _Commander_..." the mercenary disintegrated into smoke and vanished from sight.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

With one last burst of effort he hurled the last chair in the room on top of the makeshift barricade. The room looked even sparser now than when he had first entered. Aside from him, Miss Volskaya and the secretary there was no one else. He had seen from the bulletproof window everyone else being marched to the factory. He had seen something else from the window, hanging outside of the factory on a heavy railing that had piqued his interest.

"Mr Lindholm I hope you have more of a plan than just blocking a door?" Katya had a pistol, the only weapon between all three of them.

"That depends. How long until those titans get here?" he asked. The Russian CEO scratched the back of her head.

"Less than a day. That is all I know" she answered.

"Right…" he spotted a vent shaft in the high corner of the room, "Ladies I'll boost you up then I'll follow. Miss Volskaya where can I get some tools from?"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Another short chapter. Hopefully get back to writing in a few days. Very close to the home stretch now. Still a lot to go though.**

 **Thanks for all the support so far.**


	7. Battle of Volskaya Part I

Chapter VII

The door wasn't budging. Even with all three of them trying to break it in. They could all feel the hooded merc's eyes burning into the back of their skulls so they blindly continued trying in vain.

"Hhmmph… Step aside" Reaper growled and the three Talon operatives obliged quickly, fearing any friendly fire that could happen.

He drew his two shotguns and took aim at the door's hinges before making short work of them. The Talon operatives quickly moved in to pry the doors off and were in the process of doing so when bullets started tearing into them. One operative fell with the other two using the doors as shields. They could see now into the room but only through a barricade of furniture and through the gaps where they were being shot from. One operative fired a burst from his sub machine gun through the gaps but the barrage of gunfire from inside didn't relent. Their attempt at suppression fire being worthless. Reaper dissipated into smoke and phased through the makeshift barricade and gunfire with ease and coming face to face with his attacker.

A small compact sentry gun sitting in the far corner of the room with no one else in sight. Taking aim he obliterated it with only a single shot after reforming from the black smoke. Nothing substantial remained from the sentry gun apart from a few pieces of scrap.

This was Katya Volskaya's office, he had no doubt but she was already gone. The room was empty, loose papers and fragments of destroyed furniture scattered around on the floor.

"She's not here. Move on to the next building" he barked at the operatives still outside the room. He was about to rejoin them when he caught something. Just out of the corner of his eye, down in the yard. Between the pallets of machine parts and industrial containers he caught a flash of movement.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

He dug through the pouch of tools, screwdrivers of various sizes, loose cables, cable cutters, more miscellaneous tools. He peeked up and around where they had taken shelter in the yard. Surrounded by junk, plenty of good cover though not anything too useful in stopping an entire team of black op mercenaries he reckoned. Volskaya was crouched down alongside him. She had refused to go when he had used his bionic arm to tear off some fencing to allow the secretary and Katya to escape but she had insisted on staying.

"I know this place like back of hand" she reached into her jacket, removing a small pistol and checking it over.

"I appreciate the concern Miss Volskaya but I think I can handle meself just fine" he replied, scratching his beard. She gave him a sceptical look as he continued to search the small tool bag.

"I think plan you said you had was maybe a lie" she looked over her shoulder as the sound of nearby gunfire echoed through the yard. Torbjörn thought that was a fairly correct assumption. These weren't just some pro Omnic bleeding heart, peace loving protesters, that was obvious. An unknown number of heavily armed black op goons and hostages.

Damn it all. He was just an engineer, he wasn't some highly trained soldier. The heavy fighting is what he left the rest of the old team do. He was just one man. Just one man. A spark ignited in his head.

"Wait… which way to the assembly building?" in a flash he turned to the slim Russian who caught on quickly.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Torbjörn..." the black hooded merc rose from the black smog in the yard. He had recognised that voice coming from the muttering nearby and then he had seen the old man briefly from around the corner. This was perfect.

So much time spent hunting in the shadows but now they were all coming back, all his prey coming to him.

Volskaya and the dwarf took off through the yard, moving low and out of sight unaware of him trailing behind silently.

"Didn't anyone tell you they don't celebrate Halloween in Russia?" a gruff voice came from above him. He only managed to look up just as the man from Houston dropped from his perch atop a crate and crashed down on him, his red glove smashing into his mask. He felt the mask filter falter for a second in the aftermath of the punch and was hit with that familiar rush of indescribable pain all across his body. It would have crippled him for sure but the filter resumed and then came the adrenaline. It felt perfect.

Reaper lashed out with a backhanded swipe, faster than 76 could have predicted. The taloned gauntlet slashing through the front of his jacket like it was nothing but hitting the dense body armour underneath. He slashed again this time aiming for the arms. 76 dodged back but not quick enough to avoid the tips of the gauntlets from slicing across his lower arm. Thin lines of blood stained the blue jacket. 76 fell back against the crate grabbing his arm.

"Can't fool me twice" he reached down and pulled a shotgun from his trench coat. He'd put down this old man and be back on the dwarf's trail in no time.

That's what he thought anyway before 76 sprung forward into him, knocking the shotgun away and delivering hard punches into Reaper's chest. He moved right into him not even giving Reaper enough time to raise his arms. He gave a few hard elbow strikes to Reaper's biceps and shoulders before grabbing his neck and throwing him to the ground. The white mask struck the ground hard enough to crack.

"You've got some moves spook" 76 clutched at his arm, his glove coming away from the wound dripping blood.

"I'm only getting started old man" Reaper spat as he rose onto one knee.

"Good, wouldn't want you to die before I get my answers" 76 moved quickly, kicking for Reaper's chest. The strikes to Reaper's arms made countering the kicks near impossible, 76's boot connected hard with ribs and Reaper went down again coughing hard.

"Why are you hunting down Overwatch agents? Who are you working for?" 76 pressed his boot down on the merc's stomach waiting for a response. What he didn't expect was for the bastard to start laughing.

"You've got to be kidding me" a deep guttural laugh broke the silence. 76's boot suddenly fell through Reaper's chest as his form shifted into smoke. He tried backing up but the smoke swirled around him and enveloped him. Talons emerged from the smoke and clamped around his neck. He instinctively grabbed the black gauntlets as Reaper shifted back. He had underestimated the merc's strength as Reaper lifted him clear off the ground.

"I should have known, it was all so familiar. Jack Morrison"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The ceiling of the factory exploded, small chunks of debris raining down onto the production lines. Talon operatives scattering from their window perches.

"OVERWATCH! THEY'RE RIGHT ON TOP OF US!" the scream went up as a white blur dropped through the ceiling and onto the highest floor. Winston hit the ground rolling, coming up right in front of two Talon agents who opened fire. The bullets ricochetted harmlessly off the heavy armour and the gorilla put the two men down with a single swing. The gorilla turned to face the last Talon agent standing in his way.

The agent had his pistol out, barrel jammed against the head of one of the hostages who he was holding in front of him as a shield.

"Not one more step you damn monkey or he dies" the agent called out as he backed up towards the stairwell.

"I'll admit… I missed this," a voice drawled from behind Winston, "the old stand off" McCree waltzed out from behind Winston before firing a single shot that dropped the talon agent where he stood. The hostage collapsing next to the body unharmed. Winston finally exhaled the breath he had been holding.

"Let's get down there"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Surrounding the factory gates a few dozen uniformed police were taking cover behind a low stonewall, their cruisers abandoned, a few had had their windows shot out. A few shots ricocheted overhead as one of the factory gunman took a few pot shots at them from the window.

"Sir I heard more gunfire in there! They're probably executing the hostages, we have to get in there" one of the younger cops shook his superior's shoulder. The older cop sighed, checking his pistol over. He recognised the sound of rifle shot. That's what they were up against. Only a few of them had any serious experience in a fire fight, not enough ammo to spare, no back up as the rest of the force was assisting in the evacuation of the city and the gate was blocked by an industrial container and if it had to be moved it would have to be done under fire from the gunman in the factory windows.

"There's not a lot I think we can do son, we can only hope to contain th-" a soft rhythmic stomping interrupted the officer as he looked around to try and find the source of the noise.

The stomping became louder and he could feel the ground shake beneath the snow. A silver grey behemoth ran into view from across the street from them, carrying an enormous hammer. He turned and starting jogging towards them and for a second the officers worried that the giant was going to run them over.

"STEEL YOURSELVES COMRADES! WE MUST PUSH FORWARD" the giant roared before dropping into the shoulder charge right into the blocked gate. The metal gate almost broke apart and the industrial container was completely overturned by the giant. Multiple factory windows lit up as gunfire rained down on the gate area. The armoured giant raised his arm as a blue energy field sprung to life in front of him.

"DON'T WORRY MY FRIENDS, I WILL BE YOUR SHIELD"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Been awhile since this has updated. Moving to a different country is very tiring and stressful. Been struggling writing this fic but finally managed to come back to it.**


	8. Battle of Volskaya Part II

**So I guess I better keep trying to finish this thing. This fanfic was first started way before the reveal of Ana and now Katya Volskaya has actually appeared in the Sombra animated short. Time to continue then.**

Chapter VIII

The silver talons dug into his skin as Reaper clasped his neck tight. The level of strength was almost inhuman and yet Reaper hadn't killed him yet.

"Been a long time Jack" the voice growled beneath the white owl mask.

"...Reyes? What happened to you?" Morrison coughed, his own hands gripped Gabriel's hands trying to pry them loose.

" **You did this Jack**. You left me to die, you killed Ana and let that twisted Doctor torture me. The things Overwatch has done to me…" Reyes swung him towards the ground aiming to break his neck. 76 lashed out at the already cracked mask causing Reaper to lose his grip. The talons shredded the jacket's collar as Jack came loose and rolled away.

"What are you talking about? Ana was killed by one of Talon's snipers and you were the one that set the charges that blew headquarters sky high" his gloved hand returned to the cuts along his arm which were bleeding badly now.

"If lying to yourself is the only way for you to sleep at night then so be it murdere-" Reaper was cut off as an explosion from the factory rocked the ground. Containers rattled, fell and scattered their contents across the snow. 76 dived clear as a pylon came crashing down into the yard, crushing containers.

When the clouds of turned up snow finally cleared the yard was completely wrecked and silent apart from the sounds of gunfire coming from the factory interior. 76 picked himself up and retrieved his rifle which had come loose in the struggle and was half buried in snow. Then he turned his attention to where Reaper had disappeared to. He didn't have to look far, finding his old friend unconscious, pinned underneath a beam.

He'd only get one shot at this.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Everything was coming undone, she realized that when a giant hammer had knocked down the main factory entrance and a team of Russian police had stormed in with an old German crusader providing shielding. With Overwatch coming through the ceiling and police from below there was no point in yelling orders that wouldn't be followed, only focus on engaging the enemy.

She had them all in her sights, the ignorance almost made the corners of her mouth twitch. The monkey, the cowboy and ninja were moving along the upper catwalks as they cleared out the Talon window positions. She would start with the cyborg ninja she decided as her scope settled over the grey helmet.

"Behind you!" a scream went up along with the sound of shattering glass from behind the sniper as an orange blur dashed into the room, twin pistols blazing as the Talon operatives who were just too slow and too inexperienced to handle this kind of speed were cut down.

Widowmaker turned, spraying wildly across the room but Lena was already closing in on her, a few steps away.

"It's over Amélie!" she called as she began to throw, Widow realizing too late that Lena was clutching her pulse bomb.

There was nowhere to dodge, nothing to deflect the bomb. She was close enough to see the regret in Lena's eyes yet also see the determination. That cold determination reminded her of herself. The pulse bomb sailed out of her hand and struck Widow's waist, attaching itself but she wasn't ready to die yet. Not while Talon's orders still remained unfulfilled.

She grabbed the short British woman and pulled her in, gripping her tight in a bear hug while digging her hands underneath the straps of the chronal accelerator just as it began. Time blurred and began to rewind, the experience slow and sickening. She hugged Lena tighter, not knowing what would happen if she let go at the wrong moment. She could hear the high pitched whine of the chronal chest piece no doubt trying to compensate for the extra passenger. Widow felt Tracer's hand on her waist, reaching for the pulse bomb as they moved in non space. Time snapped back to normal progression and they were across the room. Tracer had just barely disarmed the pulse bomb as they snapped back.

"Amélie?" Lena asked softly, a moment passed as Widow realized she still hadn't let go. She dismissed it as a near death reaction and seized on the moment, grabbing Lena around the neck in a hold.

"What are-?!" Lena wheezed out as Widowmaker tightened her grip, watching Lena's struggling slowly subside until the short woman had lost consciousness.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The rest of the battle was beginning to wind down, only a single holdout of Talon operatives remained, dug in behind solid cover as Overwatch closed in around them.

"Gentlemen why don't we skip this part and just go straight to you throwing down 'yer weapons?" McCree called over to them.

"Not on your life cowboy," one of the operatives stepped out of cover holding one of the workers as a human shield, "Here's a better idea, you're going to let us walk out of here right now with the hostages".

The operative nudged his pistol into the terrified worker's head and awaited a response. Genji dropped down next to McCree and Winston.

"I could flank them and give you an opening?" Genji suggested.

"No, we don't know how many hostages there are back there" Winston shifted uncomfortably, trying to think up a solution but nothing was coming up.

"We can't let them leave with those people" McCree's hand tightened on his revolver, tension rising.

It was at that moment that the wall came crashing down. The factory shook like it was caught in an earthquake as the arm of a Svyatogor came through the gap. A loud voice boomed through the factory, shaking the glass windows that hadn't been destroyed.

" **I'M HAVIN' A BAD DAY SO** **LAY DOWN YE WEAPONS** **RIGHT NOW BEFORE I SQUISH THE WHOLE LOT OF YE** " the Svyatogor instructed in a Swedish accent.

A slight pause before a dozen rifles and a couple of pistols were all hurled over cover before the rest of the remaining Talon operatives emerged with their hands up, as the Russian policemen moved in to cuff them.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"My friends! It's been too long!" Reinhardt was quick to rush to his old team as they reassembled on the main floor.

"Far too long old buddy" McCree grinned as he lit up a cigar.

"I'm 'fraid we got no time for any reminiscing now gents" Torbjörn grunted as he climbed in through the hole he had made with the Svyatogor with Katya Volskaya following behind him.

"Omnic titans are approaching the city, we need your help in defending it" Volskaya began to fill them in.

"We're nowhere near equipped for that. What exactly can a couple of us do against two titans? Throw rocks?" McCree asked without a hint of humour.

"Ah that's why I've already got a plan all set out and ready to go" Torbjörn was about to explain when 76 burst in, out of breath and heaving.

"They took Tracer"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Winston had to be restrained by Reinhardt who was barely managing to hold on to the ape's arms.

"We have to go! We have to go after them" Winston insisted, trying to wrestle out of the German crusader's grip.

"Winston! Tracer was close to me heart too but you can't just go gallivanting off on a wild chase at a time like this" Torbjörn tried to talk sense but Winston was too agitated to care.

"Thousands of people will perish without us Winston. This city needs us!" Reinhardt sounded tired already from just holding back Winston. The ape gave one last pull before finally sitting down and giving a ragged sigh.

"I don't want to lose her like we lost Amélie" Winston shifted his glasses to rub his eyes.

"Someone should have been keeping an eye on her" Genji commented before turning to stare at 76.

An instinctive protest began to form in his head. She was quite capable enough on her own and could handle herself but he couldn't shake the guilt eating away at him. He could still remember when they had taken Amélie away and they had searched for months and found nothing. In the end finding her only because Talon had allowed it to happen. He hadn't considered the possibility of Tracer getting into trouble, didn't want to think about something like that. He had pretended he was still on his own and not part of a team.

"You're right. I should have…" he couldn't meet their eyes.

"You have no idea" Genji started towards him but McCree stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Torb how do we stop those titans?"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Just another little chapter. Hopefully more soon.**


	9. More Trouble

Chapter IX

Rockets and heavy machine gun fire tore across the city, erasing chunks of urban sprawl. The damage was already terrible and the titans had only just reached the city outskirts. Their legs crushing entire small buildings with each step forward. The six Svyatogors were already attacking with high pressure energy beams but the damage was close to minimal. Russian military fighters soared overhead attempting bombing runs but the titans dissuaded them with a barrage of anti air fire.

"Cockpit is kind of cramped Torb" Winston muttered as he fiddled with the controls of the Svyatogor as he marched it across the city towards the ongoing battle.

"Apologies but you're the only one who can pilot the damn thing. Be helluva lot easier with Tracer here jus- Just be ready to help stop that titan so I can climb aboard. We do this just like Kurjikstan, disable it from the inside and then we'll only have one of the buggers to deal with" Torbjörn's voice was distorted by static but was at least understandable.

"Hanging on out there Genji?" Winston asked the cyborg ninja clinging to the shoulder of the Svyatogor.

"I'm managing, let's just get there" he responded curtly.

They were in clear range now. If the titans weren't currently being held up by the Russian forces then they would have torn them apart.

"I'm going to need that distraction now 76" Winston barked over the comms.

High above the Svyatogor the Overwatch Orca drop ship was standing by, keeping it's distance from the ongoing air battle.

"Roger that," 76 primed his rifle as he looked to Reinhardt and McCree who nodded, "Athena take us in".

The drop ship descended like a stone from the clouds before levelling out beneath the line of sight for the shoulder mounted anti air on the titan's shoulders. The Orca was never designed for combat, only quick insertions. They had to rely on their own weapons but only to serve as a proper distraction for Winston.

The side door opened and with Reinhardt provided shielding, McCree and 76 opened fire on a trio of turrets embedded on the titan's side before the Orca accelerated and pulled away behind the titan. The titan attempted to turn, trying to acquire whatever had just strafed it.

"I'm inside the second titan!" Torbjörn announced and in the space of ten seconds said titan's knee joint buckled and collapsed on itself, the titan sinking onto one knee but continuing to fight.

Winston steered the Svyatogor forward, charging into the titan's waist in a tackle. The titan reeled back stunned as Genji was propelled into the air, utilizing his suit to boost himself the extra distance to the titan's head. Unsheathing his sword, Genji summoned the nanites from what remained of his tattoo, the hard light dragon materialized beside his sword. With one swing the hard light ripped right through the titan's metal exterior and inner circuitry, near decapitating the titan.

The Omnic war machine stumbled back, breaking away from Winston's Svyatogor. Genji drove his sword into the titan to gain a grip but was barely holding on.

"I REQUIRE A PICK UP" Genji called frantically.

"Genji's in trouble move us back in!" McCree shouted to Athena

"Negative, the titan's movements are too erratic for a safe insertion" the AI responded. The titan had almost regained it's footing before it slipped on the uneven rubble and snow piled around it's legs. It's arms flailed upwards and in the process Genji was dislodged and thrown clear of the titan, still high in the air.

"ATHENA CATCH HIM" 76 shouted and AI obeyed, the Orca accelerated, throwing Reinhardt, McCree and 76 to the deck as the ship raced downwards towards the gap between Genji and the ground. They were almost forty nine feet from the ground.

Without warning a missile collided with the side of the Orca, the impact causing the ship to swerve. 76 grabbed for support but was already sliding sideways, straight off the Orca's side ramp. He caught the safety handle on the ramp at the last second, his arm almost being popped out of it's socket.

The cold wind tearing at him and his grip worsening, he looked up and caught sight of Genji colliding with the Orca but bouncing off, seemingly unconscious.

"Ahh… Damn it" he swore as he let go of the handle.

76 didn't think or observe how far he was from the ground or how much time he had, just focused on getting a hold of Genji. The earth below filled his vision as he grabbed the cyborg's leg and pulled him into a hold. The ground rushed to meet them.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The sun was beating down hard on the often busy training field. Only one small section was being used today. Three figures gathered at the side of the field that sat in the shadow of a 15 foot high concrete wall and above that loomed the Overwatch training facility.

Jack wiped the sweat from his brow before grabbing another used tennis ball from the bag at his feet next to his duffel bag. He wouldn't usually be out here but Angela had insisted and he was loathe to turn her down.

"Alright… Again" He announced before pitching it at the cyborg ninja who stood ready with a bokken.

Genji swung outwards to deflect the incoming ball, his movement almost too fast to track. He reached the end of his swing and only then did the ball arrive, sailing past his shoulder and striking the concrete wall.

"That was close Genji, you **are** improving" Angela called from the sidelines, dressed in her lab coat and sun hat, clutching a clip board filled with notes.

Jack was reaching down to grab another ball when he heard the clatter of the bokken as Genji threw it against the wall.

"Damumitto! Impossible! I can't do it" the cyborg sunk to the ground, looking down at his metallic hands, his expression hidden by the silver mask. Angela was quick to arrive at his side, crouched beside him with a hand on his shoulder while Jack kept his distance. He was never trained to be a counsellor and wasn't particularly good at these sorts of things.

"This is only practice Genji. It will take some time but-" Angela recoiled as Genji snapped back suddenly.

"I DON'T THINK I CAN. I'M BR-" The shout died and Jack couldn't tell if it was the voice modulator or Genji's voice that had cracked. Genji heaved with a shuddering breath.

"I- I'm sorry, Dr Ziegler. I know you are just trying to help me" Genji remained sitting on the field, his hands scratching at the grass, maybe hoping to feel something to ground himself.

"I will fetch my tools from the lab and we'll see if this isn't a technical issue" Angela patted the cyborg on the back before rising and shooting a look to Jack before heading off towards the lab buildings.

 _'Ahh dammit'_ He thought as watched Angela leave, leaving him with the young traumatized cyborg. Instead he walked over to the concrete wall and retrieved the bokken. He checked the wooden sword over for damage but it was roughly intact.

"Well since we're still technically on the job we might as well continue your training" he dropped the bokken at Genji's feet and headed back to his bag.

"Commander, if you hadn't noticed I'm as useless as a cripple"

"I know, that's why we're training" Jack moved the bag of tennis balls aside and reached into his duffel bag before pulling out a small air soft pistol. Without warning he fired a shot off at Genji's back. The plastic ball pinging off the silver armour plating.

"AH!" Genji rolled onto his knees, his arms up. More surprised than wounded, "Why the hell do you have that?" the ninja exclaimed. Morrison examined the pistol.

"This? Ah a bit of petty revenge. Was going to ambush Gabe on his morning walk but thought it might come in handy" he took aim again and fired as Genji dodged to the side, slipped and landed on his back.

"I'm not ready!" Genji called as he struggled to his feet.

"The Omnics won't wait for you to be ready soldier" Jack regardless held his fire as Genji used the bokken to get to his feet. He fired again, a small plastic sphere pinged off Genji's wrist almost causing him to drop the sword.

"I may not feel much but I felt that" Genji flexed his wrist, twirling the bokken.

"Pain is a good motivator" he responded as he fired again. Genji lashed out, striking the plastic projectile but only managing to deflect it into his own shoulder.

Soon caught in the rhythm of their mock fight they didn't notice when Dr Ziegler returned or how low the sun got until it was late.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

She came to rather quickly. The air was stuffy and hot and she was in complete darkness. She was seated but she couldn't move. She could feel the ground thrumming and the tug of gravity from side to side. She felt sick.

"Somebody?" she coughed. A second later the dark bag over her head was yanked off and she was face to face again with Amélie again who was sitting across from her. The spider reclined backwards maintaining her cold stare. Right now Lena was just glad to be breathing fresh air again.

"I could 'ave suffocated ya know"

"I was observing your breathing" Widowmaker replied curtly.

"Right" Lena replied, somewhat creeped out by the response. She looked away from the assassin and realized that they were on board a Talon drop-ship yet they were completely alone. Just her and Widow.

A door to her right led to the cockpit where there was presumably still a pilot. She pulled at her restraints, her wrists chained to the arm rests and her ankles chained together and then another set chaining her to the seat. It wasn't the worst situation she had gotten herself into but it was going to be unless she got out of here. Unfortunately the only way she was escaping was to break down a figurative brick wall that she had been trying to break down for months. She didn't really understand the depth of Amélie's brainwashing or how far it went but she wasn't going to get a better opportunity than this.

"You never answered my question" she broke the silence.

"Excuse me?" Widow cocked her head.

"Back in King's Row, why? Why did you do it?" Widow smirked at the question, like Lena was a third grader failing a basic maths question.

"It was my mission" Widow answered.

"Is that what you call it?", Lena shouted suddenly, "Killing innocent people who mean you no harm?".

"You do not understand Chéri,", Widow's smirk vanished as she crossed her legs "You cannot see the bigger picture".

"It's that easy is it?" Lena scoffed though she had never felt so small, powerless against evidence of blatant evil.

"Quite" Widow responded flatly. Widow's stare was beginning to seem deeply unnerving, she could only look away.

"You really are gone aren't you? There really is nothin' left".

"Au contraire Lena, I have never been so alive, so full of purpose. I pity you, you know? Your naivety, your romantic sense of idealism. Such childishness. Overwatch once peddled such nonsense at look at what it has become, criminals playing at being a heroes" Widow self satisfied smirk returned as she glimpsed the resentment in Lena's eyes.

"What does that make you then love?" Tracer spat, "And your load of gits?"

"Talon? They understand what it will take to win, to ensure lasting peace. You might not understand now Chéri but you will".

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **In this sci fi future with talking apes, sentient robots and tech that is almost indistinguishable from magic let's not question why a military officer is allowed to carry an airsoft gun around a base shooting recruits and other officers.**


End file.
